CERN Announces Collider Startup Delay

perturbed1 writes "The 142nd session of the CERN Council saw Organizational Director General Robert Aymar announcing a delay in the activation of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The installation will start up in May 2008, taking 'the first steps towards studying physics at a new high-energy frontier.' Such a delay was foreseen due to the quadrupole accident, which we've previously discussed. This gives extra time for Fermilab physicists to try to understand the latest interesting hints of the Higgs boson, as well as give much needed extra-time for the detectors at CERN to get ready for data taking. Given that it will be fall before the LHC detectors take any useful data from collisions at 14TeV, could Fermilab collect enough data for a 5-sigma discovery by then?"

Time is running out for Fermilab

[moosesocks]

Let's not forget that the Tevatron (Fermilab's big accelerator) is scheduled to be shut down in 2009.

I'd love for the scientists at Fermilab to make this sort of breakthrough before the LHC goes live, as it'd be a huge morale booster for American physicists. Such a high-profile discovery would also attract the attention necessary to help solve the NSF's funding woes.

Re:Time is running out for Fermilab

[NeverVotedBush]

Actually, there were recent news bites that Fermilab had actually seen the Higgs. I don't have the citations, but supposedly they have possibly seen it now at least a few times and are re-examining the data to make sure.

It was just reported within the last month if I recall correctly. I apologize, but I just don't find the citation. I Know I read the article though.

Maybe it was in Scientific American?

I for one...

[Bonker]

am actually hoping AGAINST either Fermilab or Cern managing to isolate a Higgs particle.

No, I don't wish any harm to the scientists or their reputations. However, I think it would be fun if Gravity didn't fit so nicely in the Standard Model like everyone is hoping it will.

Having something else, such as a massive Baryon, appear at the energies where the Higgs boson is 'supposed' to be means that scientists all over the world in many disciplines are going to have to go back to the drawing board and reevaluate their theories.

Re:Time is running out for Fermilab

[cyphercell]

Yea, as an American I'd be happy if they could just contribute to an international science project without breaking something in a more than spectacular way. All in all I think fermilab was the first of it's kind and deserve a whole lot of credit for that. Besides, if they find the Boson in the big accelerator wouldn't it also be pretty cool to find it in the little accelerator?

5-sigma probably not possible

[Roger W Moore]

Given that it will be fall before the LHC detectors take any useful data from collisions at 14TeV, could Fermilab collect enough data for a 5-sigma discovery by then?

It is unlikely that we will have enough data for a 5-sigma Standard Model Higgs discovery before the LHC turns on. If I remember the plot for the expected Higgs significance correctly the best we can hope for is "3-sigma evidence" unless the Higgs really is right above the current limits (where ALEPH once suggested it was).

However this assumes a Standard Model Higgs. If something called Supersymmetry (SUSY) exists then there are 5 Higgs bosons (two with a charge) and in some areas of SUSY parameter space we can see some of these a lot more easily than the Standard Model Higgs This would also be a LOT more exciting than a Standard Model Higgs!